By Sarah Snyder
Staff Writer

Developers met with city officials on a proposed mixed-use development at the corner of Evers and Huebner roads.

The builders described the project as having a town-square feel to it that would appeal to the medical center community.

“That would be a highly traveled and highly desirable location,” said City Manager Lanny Lambert.

“They had a really neat design,” he added, pointing to a region on the schematic that he said could be the location of a city “entryway” monument.

Mayor Chris Riley shared Lambert’s enthusiasm.

“It’s an exciting, wonderful project, so we’ll see,” she said.

The “Las Palmas” development would be the first mixed-use project in Leon Valley and features four buildings between 2,500 and 6,000 square feet with 73 parking spaces, and 80 townhouses.

The city is currently working on a variety of initiatives to revitalize the city, including a new park, new trails, both a sustainable-living and a pedestrian-friendly study and a fourth attempt to implement an economic development tax.

The American Institute of Architects’ Center for Communities by Design has selected 10 cities, including Detroit, Fort Worth, Kauai, New Orleans, Tampa and Leon Valley to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Program. The program brings together experts around the country to provide a game plan for each city. Sustainability, as described by AIA, is “defined by a community’s ability to meet the environmental, economic, and social equity needs of today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. The city anticipates the SDAT’s second visit to the city in the near future.

Meanwhile, Crystal Hills Park, a joint venture between the City of San Antonio and the City of Leon Valley, is currently in its planning stages, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization has visited the city to study how Leon Valley can be more pedestrian-friendly.

The city recently had a second public hearing on the possibility of having a 4B sales tax proposition on the next election ballot. The tax would provide funding for economic development projects, but the effort has since failed three times.